#TotallyTrials – Away From the Track

Obviously the main event of the weekend was the business being had at Hayward and the whole finding-out-whos-going-to-London-to-represent-our-country thing.

NBD. Kind of exciting.

2012 Olympians within iPhone camera shooting range

But turns out track meets don’t last all day. And when you’re in Track Town, surrounded by a billion other runner enthusiasts, on the wings of an awesome women’s running apparel company (wings pun intended), you won’t be troubled finding things to fill your days with.

The Oiselles

I was blown away by how incredibly welcoming, friendly, and AMAZING all of these women are. The ladies of HQ are so inspirational and amazing – as runners, business women, and humans in general. I want to be them. I’d (obviously) already been a head-over-heels loveboat with Oiselle’s product, but having this chance to connect with the people who dreamt it & brought it to life has brought that infatuation to a whole new level.

Every single person there repping Oiselle gets permanent OUaL BFF status. Friendship bracelets are in the mail. From the HQ girls to the team members to the supporters (Leskos – that spare room is ready for us, right?) this company is stacked with ridiculously awesome people. It was like a big happy family from the second we set foot on Eugene turf to the last teary hug goodbye.

The House/Digs

Oiselle put us up in a cute little house half a mile from campus with a few other team members. We kept joking it was like summer camp – immediately being thrown into close quarters with a bunch of complete strangers you have some common interest with.

Luckily my IRL social ineptitudes fly out the window when it comes to geeking out over running. Put me in a sweat-less group situation and I get all clammy and stuttery, but start dropping favorite races, shoe specs, or Bloks vs Chomps debates and I’ll go all endurance social butterfly on you till you beg me the shut the F up.

Ok that’s a little far, but at least I won’t stand in the corner trying to hind behind a tequila shield.

I picked the brains of all of these amazing athletes – from Oly Marathon Trials qualifiers to NCAA standouts to super stroller-pusher moms – and tried to soak in as much of their bad ass-ness as possible. Coupled with the insane showdowns on the track, I left town with a head full of ideas and legs itching to run. BAD.

Yes, I took myself out in public looking like that. When everyone in town is fast, pretty, & looks better in compression than you do, it just doesn’t matter.

The Running

There couldn’t have been a better place for me to wind up during a tumultuous “break up” with running. I said it in April, and I’ll say it again, there is magic in Eugene. We were able to hit the trails everyday except Thursday (unless we’re counting the sprint to Hayward upon arrival) and every step rejuvenated my cranky runner soul.

More miles and probably a little speedier than my body was ready for, but there was no way I was sitting out on any of this action.

Run love, welcome back.

Fun running with Em & the Oiselles on Pre’s trail and the Willamette

We ran past Galen Rupp one AM and didn’t try to chasing after him with a sharpie and our Trials programs. Fan girls? Nope, none here. We’re totally cool…

(we wouldn’t have been able to catch him even if we tried)

Track & Fun Party and Fashion Show

Saturday night was the big event – the Oiselle Track & Fun Party and Fashion Show. Unarguably the biggest hit to the running circuit party scene. Every detail – from the A-list guest list, to the dancing & photo opps, to the picky/hydration centerpieces – was Track Town Gold.

Before things got too legit to quit (foreshadowing), Oiselle sent some of their athletes strutting the new looks of Fall 12 and Spring 13 down the RUNway.

The girls told us before the show that they were nervous and wanted us to cheer as loud as possible for them – obvs not a problem for SweatyOUaL – but they rocked it like pros.

Here is the official coverage (you can hear a few woops and hollers from yours truly)…

It was a tough debate, but I picked a few of my favorite, must-have, can’t-wait, might-break-into-Oiselle-HQ-like-our-application-video pieces from the line. Realistically I’ll probably wind up putting one of everything in every color in my shopping cart as soon as they hit the shelves, though.

(Brian, you don’t have to worry about any birthday/christmas/anniversary gifts for a while.)

Stealing the show? I’m voting a 3-way tie between Lesko’s “Drop and Give me 20″, Kate Grace wearing her namesake shirt just hours after racing the 1500m semi, and Mac looking all sorts of RIDICULOUS in the new competition kit.

left : Oiselles are equally talented dancers as they are runners, right top : little Lesko says “forget a run off, how bout a dance off”, right bottom : recovering with Meggie, Lindsay, and Em (from linds’ instagram)

Looks and sounds like such an awesome time!! I almost fell out off my couch when Galen kicked it like that in the end! I recently moved to NJ and Julie Culley is on the NJNY track club which is really cool for the club bc it’s fairly new..she’s also a NJ native so it was nice to see so much support behind her. Glad you had such an unforgettable experience! :)

Wait, what, I’m a stranger?!? haha jk. Come to norcal – its hella cool up here or whatever lingo it is that they use. I need friends. Considering hanging out at the track with sign that says “needs runner friends, I am a Oiselle” – that should work, right?

Looks like an amazing time. I was in Portland for a few days and wish I could have fit in a side trip to Eugene for some of the fun. But I was too busy running the Foot Traffic Marathon and finally getting my first BQ! I think I need to get some Oiselle as my reward gift!

I’m sad that it costs so much to ship to Canada – I have a few Oiselle items but the sticker shock of the shipping makes me hit the “buy” button a little less often than I’d like to. I’ll just have to save up my entire running clothing budget for the year, buy the entire line, and then only have to ship once.

Sounds like a fun, fun time. I love Eugene and will be there many times in the fall for football games. We also try to go to a track meet or two every year. Also, I am pretty sure Oiselle headquarters is about a mile from my house- I need to try out their running clothes!

I'm Sarah OUaL. That's not my real last name (it's an acronym). I'm a runner, a wife, a tells-it-like-it-is'er, and a displaced beer-loving Ohioan in Southern California Bend, Oregon. Heaven help my hillbilly roots and the over-sharing here.